Warm Up: Agree or Disagree?

Read each statement below. On a piece of paper or in your notebook, write whether you Agree or Disagree with the statement and provide one sentence explaining why.

Statements:

1. High school students should have a later start time for school.
   
   
   
2. Social media has a more negative impact than a positive one on teenagers.
   
   
   
3. It is more important to be kind than to be right.
   
   
   
4. Learning a second language should be mandatory in high school.
   
   
   
5. People should be allowed to express any opinion they want, even if it is unpopular.
   
   
   

Argument Analysis Worksheet: Frederick Douglass

Text Excerpt:

"But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, it is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, and denounce less, would you persuade more and rebuke less, your cause would be much more likely to succeed. But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it. The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. They acknowledge it when they punish disobedience on the part of the slave. There are seventy-two crimes in the state of Virginia, which, if committed by a black man, (no matter how ignorant he be,) subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of these same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment. What is this but the acknowledgment that the slave is a moral, intellectual, and responsible being. The manhood of the slave is conceded. It is admitted in the fact that southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or write. When you can point to any such laws, in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave. When the dogs in your streets, when the fowls of the air, when the cattle on your hills, when the fish of the sea, and the reptiles that crawl, shall be unable to distinguish the slave from a brute, then will I argue with you that the slave is a man!"

-- Frederick Douglass, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" (1852)

Your Task:

Read the excerpt above carefully and work with your class, then independently or with a partner, to identify the elements of argument.

1. Claim (Main Idea/Thesis):

What is Frederick Douglass's main argument or central point in this excerpt? What is he trying to convince his audience of? (Write in your own words.)

2. Evidence:

Identify at least two specific pieces of evidence Douglass uses to support his claim. Quote or paraphrase directly from the text.

• Evidence 1:
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Evidence 2:
  
  
  
  
  
  

3. Reasoning:

Explain how each piece of evidence you identified logically supports Douglass's claim. Why does this evidence matter to his argument?

• Reasoning for Evidence 1:
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Reasoning for Evidence 2:
  
  
  
  
  
  

4. Counterclaim:

What is the opposing argument or viewpoint that Douglass addresses in this excerpt? (What might someone who disagrees with him say?)

5. Rebuttal:

How does Douglass respond to or refute the counterclaim? What argument does he use to show why the counterclaim is incorrect or less significant?

6. Reflect & Extend (Independent/Partner Work):

Consider the historical context. Can you think of another potential counterclaim someone might have made against Douglass's argument at that time? How might Douglass have effectively rebutted it, using the principles of argument we discussed today?

• Another Potential Counterclaim:
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Douglass's Possible Rebuttal:
  
  
  
  
  
  

Argument Analysis Answer Key: Frederick Douglass

Text Excerpt:

"But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, it is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, and denounce less, would you persuade more and rebuke less, your cause would be much more likely to succeed. But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued. What point in the anti-slavery creed would you have me argue? On what branch of the subject do the people of this country need light? Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it. The slaveholders themselves acknowledge it in the enactment of laws for their government. They acknowledge it when they punish disobedience on the part of the slave. There are seventy-two crimes in the state of Virginia, which, if committed by a black man, (no matter how ignorant he be,) subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of these same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment. What is this but the acknowledgment that the slave is a moral, intellectual, and responsible being. The manhood of the slave is conceded. It is admitted in the fact that southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or write. When you can point to any such laws, in reference to the beasts of the field, then I may consent to argue the manhood of the slave. When the dogs in your streets, when the fowls of the air, when the cattle on your hills, when the fish of the sea, and the reptiles that crawl, shall be unable to distinguish the slave from a brute, then will I argue with you that the slave is a man!"

-- Frederick Douglass, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" (1852)

Answer Key:

1. Claim (Main Idea/Thesis):

Frederick Douglass's main argument is that there is no need to argue for the humanity of the enslaved person, as it is already implicitly acknowledged and conceded by the very laws and actions of slaveholders themselves. He asserts that the moral, intellectual, and responsible nature of the slave is self-evident and proven by the legal system in slaveholding states.

2. Evidence:

• Evidence 1: "There are seventy-two crimes in the state of Virginia, which, if committed by a black man... subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of these same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment."

• Evidence 2: "southern statute books are covered with enactments forbidding, under severe fines and penalties, the teaching of the slave to read or write."

3. Reasoning:

• Reasoning for Evidence 1: Douglass reasons that by punishing enslaved people with death for numerous crimes—a punishment disproportionate to that for white men—the legal system implicitly recognizes them as moral, intellectual, and responsible beings capable of understanding right from wrong and deserving of severe consequences for their actions. If they were truly considered brutes, such complex laws and punishments would not apply.

• Reasoning for Evidence 2: Douglass argues that the existence of laws prohibiting the education of enslaved people (teaching them to read or write) is an admission of their intellectual capacity. If enslaved individuals were truly animals, there would be no need for laws to prevent them from learning, as animals are incapable of such learning. Therefore, these laws concede the slave's intellectual potential and humanity.

4. Counterclaim:

Douglass addresses the counterclaim that abolitionists (including himself) "fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind" because they "argue more, and denounce less, would you persuade more and rebuke less, your cause would be much more likely to succeed." In essence, the counterclaim suggests that abolitionists are too confrontational and not persuasive enough in their arguments.

5. Rebuttal:

Douglass rebuts this counterclaim by stating, "But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued." He dismisses the need for further argument or persuasion on the basic humanity of enslaved people, asserting that it is an undeniable truth already demonstrated by the very system of slavery itself. He then proceeds to provide evidence (laws regarding crime and literacy) to support his stance that the

Elements of Argument Quiz Answer Key

1. What is the primary claim Frederick Douglass makes in the provided excerpt?

• Correct Answer: C. The humanity of enslaved people is implicitly acknowledged by slaveholders' own laws and actions.
• Reasoning: Douglass directly states, "Must I undertake to prove that the slave is a man? That point is conceded already. Nobody doubts it." He then proceeds to demonstrate how slaveholders' laws and actions inherently acknowledge the slave's humanity, even while denying it overtly.

2. Which of the following serves as evidence for Douglass's claim?

• Correct Answer: C. The fact that seventy-two crimes subject a black man to death in Virginia, compared to two for a white man.
• Reasoning: This is a specific, verifiable fact (a statistic about laws) that Douglass uses to support his larger point that enslaved people are treated as responsible moral agents, thereby acknowledging their humanity.

3. Explain the reasoning Douglass uses to connect the laws forbidding literacy for enslaved people to his main claim about their humanity.

• Answer: Douglass reasons that if enslaved individuals were truly considered animals or brutes, there would be no need for laws to prevent them from learning to read or write. Animals are incapable of such intellectual pursuits. Therefore, the very existence of these restrictive laws implicitly acknowledges the intellectual capacity and, by extension, the humanity of the enslaved person. These laws are a concession of their intellectual potential.

4. What counterclaim does Douglass address in the excerpt?

• Correct Answer: B. That abolitionists are too confrontational and should be more persuasive.
• Reasoning: Douglass explicitly states, "But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, it is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, and denounce less, would you persuade more and rebuke less, your cause would be much more likely to succeed."

5. How does Douglass rebut the counterclaim that abolitionists should argue more and denounce less?

• Answer: Douglass rebuts this counterclaim by stating, "But, I submit, where all is plain there is nothing to be argued." He implies that the humanity of the enslaved is so obvious and so clearly demonstrated by the very system of slavery (through laws and punishments) that there is no logical ground left for him to "argue" or "persuade" on this fundamental point. His entire speech, and this excerpt, serves as a powerful denunciation rather than a gentle persuasion on this specific issue.

6. In your own words, summarize why understanding the elements of argument, as demonstrated by Douglass, is important for critical thinking.

• Answer: Understanding the elements of argument (claim, evidence, reasoning, counterclaim, rebuttal) is crucial for critical thinking because it allows us to break down complex ideas, evaluate the strength and validity of information presented to us, and identify biases or logical fallacies. By recognizing these components, we can better understand an author's or speaker's intent, assess the credibility of their support, and form our own informed opinions, rather than passively accepting what we hear or read.